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July 27, 2011

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MSNBC host Rachel Maddow has been hit with a $50 million defamation lawsuit from a Christian rock musician who also runs a ministry.

The suit focuses on a Aug. 9, 2010, segment on Maddow’s show about campaign contributions given to Bradlee Dean and his ministry, You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International. During the segment, Maddow ran a radio clip of Dean’s that referred to homosexuality as an "abomination" and talked about Muslims "calling for the execution" of gays in the United States.
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On her show, Maddow then stated that Dean clarified he “didn’t really mean to sanction murder of gay people” and ran a statement from Dean’s website, which reads, “We have never and will never call for the execution of homosexuals.”

Dean’s suit claims that Maddow disparaged the spelling of Dean’s first name, his appearance and his standing in the community, as well as gave the impression that the disclaimer Maddow spoke about in the segment was “disingenuous, insincere, false and meaningless.”

The suit seeks money for Dean’s “business losses” and for damages to Dean’s reputation.

The lawsuit also cites “red meat” reporting from MSNBC about Michele Bachmann as evidence of the network’s agenda. MSNBC put out a statement that called the suit “baseless” and added that the network stands by its reporting.